


A 'Thank You' Would Be Nice

by okemmelie



Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid, The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: F/M, listen they're both set in hatchetfield so i'm allowed to crossover ok, paul and bill are mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-25 19:07:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21361192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okemmelie/pseuds/okemmelie
Summary: Charlotte really wants a Tickle-Me Wiggly
Relationships: Charlotte/Ted (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 45





	A 'Thank You' Would Be Nice

**Author's Note:**

> unedited because i am a fool. it's for the starkid writes discord's theme of the week, 'thanks', and it's here because i love black friday, okay

“Did you get it?” Ted slips onto the couch next Charlotte and wraps an arm around her.

She sighs as she puts her laptop on their coffee table. Then she shakes her head and snuggles up to him. “No. But I _ am _on a waiting list. If I’m lucky, I’ll get one next Christmas.”

“I’m sorry, babe.” He presses a kiss against her forehead and wraps his arms further around her. There’s no way he’s saying it out loud, but he’s actually rather happy that they’re not getting one of those ugly fucking dolls. He loves Charlotte, sure, but all the cat ceramics must be enough. A green monster doll just doesn’t fit into their apartment.

“It’s alright. I’ll just go to Toy Zone when it comes out.”

“Toy Zone?”

“Toy Zone. The toy store in Lakeside Mall.”

“Oh. Why?”

“They don’t do pre-orders, so as long as I’m out early enough, I’ll be able to pick up a Tickle-Me Wiggly there.”

“And you know that... why, exactly?” Ted raises an eyebrow at her and Charlotte is just about to answer when he cuts her off instead: “You know what, don’t answer that. We’re just gonna make out and I’m going to happily ignore that my girlfriend knows this much about a fucking toy store. Sounds good?”

Charlotte doesn’t answer but she does kiss him, so he assumes all is good.

There’s still a full week until Thanksgiving and their apartment is already decked out with handmade, home-crafted turkey decorations. Ted’s never had any holiday decorations up before Charlotte moved in and he’s still getting used to it, but it’s making her happy, it seems, so he’s decided that this is just a change that he’ll have to get used to.

Besides, she deserves a little extra happiness. Ted tries his best, but it’s a stressful time and her family is coming over for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s the first time he’s meeting them and from what he can understand, they haven’t been nice to Charlotte about the whole divorce. They liked Sam. They didn’t like the cheating.

Ted has tried to reassure her that he can totally charm them and if he can’t, at least it’ll be funny, but she’s not been as optimistic as he has and he just wants to see her smile a little more, which Bill says is cute and Paul says he should never say to a woman ever.

“Hey, babe?” Ted can hear Charlotte’s voice from the entrance.

He goes to meet her there and greets her with a kiss. “Mmm?”

“Do you think you could do me a favor?”

“Of course, Charlotte. Anything.”

“Anything?” She raises an eyebrow, but she also smiles. It’s a nice sight.

He smiles back and takes her hand, then start leading her through their apartment. “Anything,” he repeats.

“Do you think you could entertain my family on Thursday?”

“Obviously. I thought we alre–”

“Oops, sorry. I mean, do you think you could entertain my family alone _ all _ of Thursday.”

“Oh.”

“Oh.” She looks up at him with the most innocent smile that’s somehow apologetic at the same time and he’s not sure how she does it. “It’s just that people have already started to line up outside Toy Zone and I don’t want to miss my chance at getting a Wiggly.”

He sighs, then presses a soft kiss to her knuckles. “Of course I’ll entertain your family all alone. But I just gotta ask… why do you want that Tickle Wiggle so badly?”

“Tickle-Me Wiggly,” she corrects him.

“Whatever.”

“Things have been rough lately. With Sam, with my parents. And Wiggly just looks so nice and cuddly. I think, I just need to do this. For me.”

He cooks dinner and packs it into two lunch boxes right away, then he makes his way towards Lakeside. In front of Toy Zone, leaning against a wall, he finds Charlotte who gives him a big smile but doesn’t move from her spot.

“Hey, darling.” She kisses him when he joins her on the floor. “How was work?”

“Boring. How was sitting and waiting here?”

“Boring.”

They sit and eat together, and when they’re done, Ted packs up the boxes and puts them in his bag. Charlotte goes to the restroom and Ted holds her spot while she’s gone. Then they sit together for a few hours, just talking and kissing and enjoying each other’s company. And sure, Ted still thinks these dolls are dumb and a waste of time, but Charlotte certainly isn’t.

Spending Thanksgiving with Charlotte’s family all alone without her isn’t fun. In fact, Ted would go as far as to say it’s awful. Then again, he isn’t sure she would have been able to save the situation. He isn’t sure anyone could have.

But it’s fine. He’s making her happy. And it’s fine, because it’s not Black Friday. Charlotte was supposed to come home right away, but it’s almost ten and she isn’t here and Ted is starting to get impatient. Then he turns on the radio and his impatience turns into worry.

Ted has never been brave, he’s never been a hero. In fact, he’s been a coward most of his life and maniac shoppers with their heart set on dolls doesn’t sound like the best way to spend his day off.

He heads to the mall anyway.

The entrances are blocked, so he smashes a window and makes his way in through a coffee shop. He stealthily navigates the mall, careful not to be seen. And when he is, he manages to run and hide until the threat passes.

He spends God knows how many hours in that mall and he doesn’t do a lot of saving, because he doesn’t spot Charlotte, not even once. Not until he thinks it’s too late, at least. He follows the sounds of singing, of yelling, of a gun being fired, and he eventually finds his way to a fire filled with moving figures, not trying to get away. And among them, he sees her. Charlotte.

She doesn’t want to come, so he wraps his arms around her and pulls her away from the fire and out of the window he previously broke. When they’re at a safe distance from the mall, he puts his hands on both sides of her face and looks at her. “Are you alright?”

“What?” She looks puzzled. He gestures towards the mall.

“Are you alright? The mall is burning and you weren’t leaving. Are you alright?”

“I– You saved me.”

“Yeah. I did. And it was fucking terrifying. A_ thank you_ would be nice.”

She kisses him. It’s an acceptable _ thank you _, he decides.


End file.
